Chapter 23: Chapter 23: The Despicable Male Seducing the Female Master

"COUGH, COUGH, COUGH—"

Han Li erupted into a fit of violent coughing, his face flushing red as he waved his hands dismissively. "No, not at all. How could that be..."

"Oh," Da Hu tilted his head. "Then I’ll go tell Female Mother you don’t want to be her Beast Husband."

’That’s not happening!’

Han Li quickly pulled him back. "Don’t! I... I actually do. I’m just afraid... I’m just afraid..."

"You’re afraid Female Mother won’t agree?"

Da Hu blinked, a cheeky grin spreading across his face. "Uncle Han, how will you know if you don’t try?"

’Beast Father Mo Yan could leave at any moment. Someone has to protect Female Mother until I’m grown up.’

Han Li struggled internally for a moment, but when he met Da Hu’s cunning gaze, he sighed. "I’m afraid your Female Mother will reject me outright. I wanted to spend some time getting to know her first before saying anything."

Da Hu nodded. "Familiarity breeds affection, Uncle Han. I’m rooting for you!"

With Da Hu’s acceptance, Han Li’s confidence surged. This little guy was just too clever.

He ruffled Da Hu’s head. "You little rascal, how did you figure it out?"

’So smart. A worthy future Zaizai, indeed. He gets his cleverness from me!’

Da Hu shook his head smugly. "I just saw it, that’s all. The way you look at Female Mother is the same way Beast Father Mo Yan looks at her. Aunt Bai Rong said that’s called love."

The corner of Han Li’s mouth twitched. The little guy hadn’t even transformed yet, and he already understood what love was.

Just as he was thinking this, the tiger Zaizai in his arms suddenly vanished, replaced by a naked little child.

The man and the boy stared at each other—one excited, the other stunned.

Da Hu was the excited one. "I transformed! I have to tell Female Mother I can turn human now!"

Han Li, on the other hand, was stunned. The earliest any cub had ever transformed was a month after birth, but Da Hu was only about ten days old, wasn’t he?

Seeing Da Hu about to run out to find Yu An, Han Li quickly pulled him back. "It’s cold outside. Yu An will be back any minute. Just wait."

And so, the moment Yu An entered the tent, she saw a small child hiding under a pile of blankets.

The little boy’s hair and eyes were a brilliant gold. A pair of fluffy, golden-brown tiger ears perched atop his head, drawing the eye. When he smiled at her, two sharp little fangs peeked out.

"Female Mother, I transformed!"

Yu An hugged him, overjoyed, only to realize that Da Hu was completely naked from head to toe.

Da Hu quickly scrambled back under the blankets, covering his face with his hands. "Female Mother, I need to wear clothes."

Yu An couldn’t help but smile. "What’s this? Are you shy?"

Beastmen usually wore clothes made of beast skins; only nobles and the wealthy wore clothes made of cloth.

She had all sorts of children’s clothes from the apocalypse stored in her dimensional space, but they looked out of place here. After Yu An did some sewing and altering, they looked much less conspicuous.

Da Hu still had his ears and tail, so Yu An had specifically cut a hole in the back of the pants for his tail to poke through.

"Mm," Yu An said with satisfaction. "So cute! You’re truly Female Mother’s good boy!"

She held Da Hu and showered him with kisses, and the little guy shyly buried his face in her embrace.

Han Li insisted his injuries were fine, but since it was already late, Yu An decided they would look for a way out tomorrow.

Inside the cozy tent, the three of them huddled together around the fire. Potatoes were buried in the embers, and before long, a sweet fragrance began to fill the air.

Da Hu sniffed the air and directed Han Li to dig out the potatoes.

"Your injuries haven’t healed yet. Let me do it."

Yu An moved to do it herself, but Han Li stopped her. "It’s nothing. I’m a male; this is my job."

His skin was thick, and he wasn’t afraid of the heat. He’d watched how Yu An did it before, so he simply copied her, peeling the charred skins off the potatoes and placing the edible insides into the hands of the mother and son.

Yu An teased, "Proactive and helpful. Not bad. You’re a good male."

Han Li cleared his throat, the tips of his ears turning bright red.

Da Hu chimed in to assist, "Female Mother, I think so too! Why don’t you take Uncle Han as your Beast Husband? He’s super strong! He can protect us."

Hearing this, Han Li pricked up his ears, listening intently for Yu An’s answer.

’If Yu An agrees, then I’ll just...’

"What are you talking about?" Yu An said, disapproving. "Your Uncle Han has a home to return to. Be good now. Female Mother will protect you."

She was well aware of her situation. Han Li was the heir to Han Ling City; even if he were willing, his family would never approve.

It wasn’t because of her looks, but because all exiles were forced to eat Exile Grass. The moment they stepped outside the boundaries of the exiled land, they would gradually weaken until they died.

The effects of the Exile Grass were even passed down to one’s descendants. Da Hu and Xiao Yu both had it in their systems.

Mo Yan, however, had not been forced to eat it. The Beast Emperor valued his talent and had once said that as long as Mo Yan could convince Yu An to dissolve their contract, he would be free.

Thinking of this, Yu An felt a sudden wave of irony.

The original owner of this body hadn’t known she might not be their biological child. In her memories, her Female Mother and Beast Father had always been exceptionally cold toward her, a stark contrast to how they treated her twin sister.

They didn’t just treat the sisters differently; they even treated complete strangers better than they treated their own daughter.

No wonder the original owner had been so emotionally unstable, irritable, and prone to outbursts.

It was a classic sign of being starved for affection.

Han Li whispered, "I don’t have to go back, either."

’My Beast Father is still in the prime of his life. He doesn’t need me there to care for him in his old age.’

Yu An waved a hand dismissively. "Let’s not talk about that. I’ll grill something for you both to eat."

She set a metal grill over the fire, sliced the meat thinly, and placed it on the grate. It immediately began to SIZZLE, dripping with fat as it cooked.

Soon, the mouths of both the man and the boy were stuffed, the food so delicious they were rendered speechless.

Outside, the world was a landscape of ice and snow, but inside the tent, it was as warm as spring. After the three of them had eaten their fill, they saw it was late and prepared for bed.

The bed Yu An took out was large enough for all three of them. She yawned, ready to make do for the night.

"Let Da Hu sleep on the inside," Han Li suggested slyly. "It’s colder on the edge. I’ll take the outermost spot, and Yu An, you can be next to me. That way, if my wound starts hurting in the night, I can trouble you to treat it."

Yu An glanced at him. Just as Han Li was sure his little scheme had been seen through, she said softly, "Alright. Let’s do that."

A jolt of joy went through Han Li, and he could barely suppress the grin threatening to split his face.

Da Hu was so sleepy he was practically falling over. The moment his head hit the pillow, he was fast asleep. As Han Li lay beside Yu An, his palms began to sweat.

’It’s springtime right now... a time of renewal, and the mating season for animals...’

The unique, feminine scent wafted over to him. By turning his head just slightly, he could see Yu An’s profile. Han Li felt his mouth go dry.

"Han Li," Yu An said suddenly, "your family would never allow you to be with an exiled female. So don’t waste your time on me."

It wasn’t that she hadn’t noticed the way Han Li looked at her; some things just had to be made clear from the start.

Han Li froze, then said sullenly, "But have you asked for my opinion? I’m the one looking for a Female Master, not my family."

Yu An was about to say something to convince him to give up, but Han Li suddenly rolled over, propping himself up above her. He stared into her eyes, his gaze burning with intensity.

"Yu An, I like you. Let me be your Beast Husband. I’ll..."

"AHEM, AHEM, AHEM—"

Before he could finish, two figures threw open the tent flap and barged inside. Four eyes were fixed on the large bed.

Or more precisely, at Han Li hovering over Yu An.

Feng Xuan’s expression was thunderous, and Mo Yan’s was no better.

A vein throbbed on Mo Yan’s forehead. "What do you think you’re doing?!" 𝕗𝐫𝐞𝕖𝕨𝐞𝗯𝚗𝕠𝘃𝐞𝚕.𝐜𝗼𝚖

’He’s so furious. Anyone who didn’t know better would think he’d just caught some despicable male in bed with his Female Master.’